wisdom ("heart wisdom")

In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” or “wise” in English. For the verses referenced here, it uses p’ijil-o’tanil or “heart wisdom.”

For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).

Translation commentary on Proverbs 1:20

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street”: “Wisdom” renders a word that Scott calls “an archaic Canaanite form.” It is found elsewhere in 24.7 and in Psa 49.3 (Hebrew verse 4). There is no apparent reason to translate it differently than the word used in verses 2 and 7.

Personification is a regular aspect of rhetorical style in most languages; in some, however, it may not be used for a term or concept like “Wisdom”. There are also some languages in which “Wisdom” is equated with intelligence, and the word is not personified merely by using a capital letter. In such cases there are two ways to handle the personification:

(1) Convert to a simile; for example, “Wisdom is like a woman crying out in the street.” In this case “Wisdom” will be replaced in some of the verses that follow by the appropriate pronouns.
(2) Another possibility is to use an honorary feminine title, for example, “Mother Wisdom.”
(3) If that solution is not workable, it may be necessary to explain the personification in a note. The note may say something like “In verses 20 and 21 Wisdom is presented as a speaking person, a woman. Verses 22-33 contain her speech.”

“Cries aloud” in this context means “call out to,” or “ring out a shout,” to get the attention of people in the noise and confusion of a busy market scene. “Street” refers to the areas outside the houses in a town setting.

“Markets” translates a word referring to the town square located inside the city in front of the gate. The “street” and “markets” were gathering places for people. See Amos 5.16 and Ruth 4.11 (“at the gate”).

“She raises her voice”: “She” and “her” are feminine pronouns in the Hebrew and refer to “Wisdom”. “Raises her voice” is literally “gives her voice” and means “makes her voice heard” or “causes them to listen to what she says.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

complete verse (Proverbs 1:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 1:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “Wisdom is like a person who shouts on the road and makes announcements in the compound.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Wisdom shouts in the streets.
    She cries out in the public squares.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Wisdom is like a man who is-preaching loudly in the streets, plazas, markets, and in the entrance/gates of the cities. He says,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Wisdom, (capitalized, with personal name marker) he/she/it (henceforth, ‘she,’ but the RL pronoun is gender-neutral), makes-strong her voice in the street in the gathering-place of people,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 1:20

Section 1:20–33

Wisdom warns people not to reject her advice

In this section, Wisdom is personified as a woman teacher or prophetess who publicly warns people not to reject her advice. After an introduction (1:20–21), Wisdom begins her speech. In her speech, she scolds foolish people for ignoring her teaching (1:22–27). She then describes what will happen to such people (1:28–31). She concludes her speech by contrasting the fate of fools with the happiness of those who obey her (1:32–33).

In the verses that contain Wisdom’s speech, the Notes use a capital letter for Wisdom, except where a quoted version has small letters. The Display provides more than one option. You may use either option in your language, depending on what is appropriate in each context. See the note at Section 8:1–36 for more information about using a capital letter to indicate personification.

Some other headings for this section are:

Wisdom Speaks (New Century Version)
-or-
Warning Against Rejecting Wisdom (New International Version)
-or-
Wisdom’s invitation to people to listen to her advice

Paragraph 1:20–21

The four lines of these two verses are parallel. The way Wisdom gives her speech is described as: “calls out,” “lifts her voice,” “cries aloud,” and “makes her speech.” All of these phrases refer to the same action.

The four places where Wisdom speaks also overlap, since they are all places where crowds of people would be located. The public square was located inside the entrance to the city gates, and the streets of the city spread out from the gates.

The two verses are also arranged chiastically. In 1:20a–b, Wisdom’s location occurs at the end of each clause. In 1:21a–b, her location occurs at the beginning of each clause.

See the General Comment on 1:20–21 at the end of 1:21a–b for a way to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts of both verses.

1:20

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

20a
Wisdom calls out in the street,

20b
she lifts her voice in the square ;

1:20a–b

Wisdom…she: In this section Wisdom is personified as a woman. This may be partly because the word translated “wisdom” here is a feminine noun in Hebrew. Identifying Wisdom as a woman also provides a contrast with the adulterous woman in later chapters.

In some languages, a literal translation of this personification may be difficult to understand. Here are some other ways to translate it:

• Change the personification to a simile. For example:

Wisdom is like a woman shouting in the street (New Century Version)

• In some cultures, people might consider it offensive to refer to wisdom as a “woman who calls out in the streets,” because only rude or immoral women do that. In languages with gender-neutral pronouns, it is also impossible to specify the feminine pronoun “she.” In either of these cases, you may be able to refer to wisdom in a general way (not specifically male or female). For example:

The one whose name is Wisdom calls out in the streets. He/She/It speaks in a loud voice…

If you choose this solution, make sure that the translation does not refer to an actual person with the name Wisdom.

• In some languages, it may be possible to use a capital letter or a proper name marker for Wisdom.

• It may also be possible to use a respectful title for a woman. For example:

Mother Wisdom (UBS Handbook)

If the personification is still not clear in your language, you may want to add a footnote. A suggested footnote is:

In 1:20–21 wisdom is described as a woman who has something important to say to people. Her speech is in 1:22–33.

calls out…lifts her voice: These two expressions would be appropriate for an open-air preacher who wants his message to be heard. The term(s) you choose should not indicate shouting, such as the shouting of a drunk or angry person.

in the street…in the square:
The phrase in the street refers to the outdoors, in contrast to inside the house, where the father was instructing his son. The phrase, in the square refers to wide areas inside the gates of a walled city. These areas were used for public gatherings, for buying and selling, and for settling disputes. Other ways to translate this phrase include:

marketplaces (Good News Translation)
-or-
public places (Revised English Bible)
-or-
wherever crowds gather (Contemporary English Version)

The Contemporary English Version expression is good because it makes explicit the function of a public square in this context.

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